A Christmas Love
by PotterParadise16
Summary: May and Drew have a lot still to discover with one another. Will Christmas bring out the best in both of them? One-shot.


May awoke with a soft gasp, her eyes snapping open. Her eyes roamed the dark cot. She looked at the flap of the door to the outside, slowly getting up. Her cotton shorts and tee clung to her skin with the sweat of her dreams, her dark brown hair flaying wildly around her face. Her fingers delicately pulled the flap back as she looked outside.

Ash was asleep, Pikachu on his lap, resting peacefully. Ash's hat lay discarded next to him. She smiled and looked around the campsite. Two more tents were set up, both occupied after a quick glance. Brock was sprawled on his bed in one; the other occupied by Max, her little brother. He whimpered softly, but didn't wake. She kissed the top of his head gently before leaving the tent.

Torchic, her Pokemon, was standing at the door of her own tent, watching her curiously. She smiled.

"It's okay, Torchic. Go on back inside and sleep. I'm just looking around." May whispered.

Torchic hesitated for a moment, and then went back in. She sighed and gathered a blanket from a bag that lie in front of Ash and spread it over him. She shivered from the cool weather wind blowing. She put on her slippers and grabbed a light green sweater of hers, shrugging onto her shoulders before deciding to take a walk.

She walked slowly, looking around at the dark night surrounding and enveloping her. The wind picked up momentarily, blowing her hair in her face. She ignored it and glanced around. It was deathly quiet. Almost too quiet, in her opinion. She couldn't hear any owls, nor the rush of the grass. She couldn't hear the little pitter-patter of feet, or the rustle of the trees. The wind was only just rustling. That was all she heard.

May frowned. Why was it so quiet? And why tonight, of all nights? It was Christmas Eve. It should be snowing, even. But it wasn't. They were really having an off year this year. It was definitely cold enough to snow. So why wasn't it? She shook her head and sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, hugging tightly.

"It's a bit late for someone to be up and around."

May gasped and turned to her right- towards the sound, definitely male, peering into the darkness. She couldn't see it, but she knew that voice…

"Especially for someone as pretty as you, May."

Don't panic. Don't panic. Act tough.

"Beauty doesn't always equal strength. Sometimes strength is more." May replied, her voice unremarkably calm.

The voice sighed softly. "You speak the truth. However, the strength of one person depends on the strength, also, of their will. Tell me, May- Do you have will strength?"

"Of course I do." What kind of question is that?

The voice was silent for a moment. "I see. It does take a lot of strength of will to be as tough as you seem to be, even without your Pokemon. Where is Torchic, May?"

"That is not something I'm willing to tell a coward." May said, grinning at her audacity.

"Coward?" he seemed a little surprised.

May nodded, more out of habit than anything. "Of course. A coward because you choose to stay in the dark. I know that you can see me, but I cannot see you. Therefore, I feel no need to spill my own secrets to someone who is keeping themselves hidden from sight. Unless you don't want me to know who it is you are."

"Very interesting. Do you wish to know who I am, then?" he asked.

May sighed and thought for a moment. In a strange way, she was liking this game of hide and seek. Everything had been so serious for the last few weeks. There was no humor lately, as Ash had been very stressed out, and Brock was just too tired to try and keep the humor alive. And neither of them considered her humorous at all. Not even Max. Max was more concerned with trying to be like Ash. She smiled.

"I suppose." May sighed dramatically.

"Alright then."

She heard rustling ahead, and a dark shape moving in the shadows. She thinned her eyes in order to concentrate her sight, until finally, they widened in recognition.

"Drew." May breathed.

He grinned slyly and nodded to her. "Good evening, May."

He walked up to her slowly, until he was just a few feet away, and held out a red rose to her.

"For you."

May looked down at the rose and took it gently, holding it with her thumb and two fingers as she twirled it slowly.

"Thank you." May murmured.

"Don't mention it." Drew waved his hand dismissively. "Ash let you walk alone?"

She shook her head. "No."

"You snuck out?" he tilted his head curiously.

She shrugged, looking up at him. "I guess you could say that."

She still didn't trust him enough to tell him they were all asleep. He may have been helping them in the past, but that didn't earn the right to trust. Not completely. And she was too cautious to just give in so easily. She knew better.

He smiled. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all." May smiled back.

May resumed her slow walk. Drew followed right next to her, his footsteps echoing hers almost instantly. She dropped her hands back to her sides, the rose clutched in her grip. She bit her lip, a slight blush rising to her cheeks from the cold.

"Too happy to see me?"

May scoffed. "It's cold."

"Uh-huh. How long have you liked me?" Drew asked, grinning.

May shook her head. "In your dreams."

"So, where is Torchic?" he asked.

"Back at the tent, sleeping."

He nodded. "And Ash?"

She half-smiled, glancing over at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Drew said, smiling back.

She paused and faced him. "I see. I don't see your Pokemon anywhere around."

"Ah, yes. Well, he's around."

May laughed. Of course he'd be just as evasive. So, she decided to be blunt.

"Why are you here?" she asked quietly, resuming her walk.

He didn't miss a beat, walking alongside her. "Just traveling. What about you?"

She smiled. "That's not for me to say."

"You know, you have to be one of the most secretive person I've ever met." Drew said.

"Only to people I don't like." May said.

He feigned shock. "You don't like me?"

She sighed. "No, I don't think I do."

"Is there any way to change that, perchance?"

She laughed. "There is nothing you can do to change that."

Drew chuckled. "I'm sure I'll find something."

"Mmmm." May replied softly.

He was quiet. She looked up at the sky. Stars were twinkling, and the moon was shining brightly, softly illuminating the ground ahead of her. The breeze picked up, sending a chill down her spine. She let out a small shudder and rubbed her arms.

"Here." Drew took off his coat and wrapped it around her gently.

She curled it closer to herself and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

His hands rested on her shoulders momentarily. The enveloping warmth of his skin made her sigh in relief. He rubbed her shoulders gently, and then released his grip. She felt a momentary sadness of the cold that replaced his heat. She frowned without even realizing she had, quickly erasing it away before he could see. She cleared her throat.

The coat had instantly warmed her up significantly, stopping her shivers. She still felt the prickle of cold on the tip of her nose, and her cheeks flushed a little. Drew glanced over and smirked. He wanted so badly to scoop her up in his arms and warm her up with his own body. But he knew better than that. She clutched to the coat and the rose, keeping both close to her body. Her eyes shut momentarily as she paused, smiling and tilting her head back as she swayed, humming a delicate tune softly.

"I've always loved winter. Mostly because it would snow. I'm really sad that it still hasn't snowed yet this year. It's Christmas Eve. You think it would have by now." May murmured.

Drew nodded, letting out a small grunt in answer. Her mouth opened, forming an "O" shape as she exhaled, the cool air making her breath visible in the air. He watched her intently. She smiled fully, a small giggle bubbling out of her throat.

"You know, when Max was little, he used to run out into the snow, dragging me with him, and we'd make snow angels. And then he'd stomp around them, making sure it looked like we were definitely there, and signed our initials under them. He used to say that it was because he wanted to put some kind of signature on something we did. And then, when he got older, it kind of just… stopped. I was the one dragging him out suddenly. Trying to make sure he stayed young. But he was just so eager to be like Ash."

Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked to keep them back, swallowing. She opened her eyes and sighed heavily, her head going back to its upright position. She looked at Drew, who was staring at her in curiosity. She shrugged and let out a laugh.

"So why exactly are you here?" she asked, turning to face him.

"I told you, I'm traveling." Drew said quietly, still looking at her.

May pursed her lips as one brow rose. "Really?"

Drew showed a hint of a smile. "I don't think you could get it out of me."

"Aha! So there is something else!" May said, pointing at him in accusation.

Drew looked surprised, to say the least. "I said nothing of the sort."

"You did too! You just said that I couldn't get it out of you. Well, I'll tell you right now that I bet I can. I bet you're here because you're spying on us. You want something from us. Maybe one of our Pokemon. Or maybe you're here because you want to challenge someone? Max? If you want to challenge him, you need to get through me first! You are so predictable, I cannot believe you. Sitting here making me… Making…" May faltered as she bit her lip and furrowed her brows, her sentence trailing.

Drew's brow rose curiously. "Making you what?"

May cleared her throat. "Nothing. It's not important. What is important is that you won't touch them. Just go your own way now. Go on."

May waved her hands towards him in a dismissive manner and began to walk back towards their camp to warn the boys. They had to know and be awake. However, she was stalled, as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a rock-hard chest, filled with warmth. She let out a strangled gasp and struggled against him.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"Shh! Stop. Let me explain, May." Drew murmured in her ear.

May wasn't listening, though. She wriggled to face him and began beating on his chest. However, it seemed to not be doing much effort. He didn't so much as wince. He didn't seem affected at all. It didn't stop her from trying, though. She wouldn't go down without a fight.

"You foul, low, evil little-"

She let out a hiss through her teeth as Drew's lips locked with her own. He pulled her body closer to him as his lips pushed against hers desperately, urging her to stop. Her arms fell limp after a moment of freezing in shock. He pulled away slowly, watching her carefully.

"Let me explain, okay?" he whispered.

She swallowed and nodded, unable to speak. He sighed and relaxed his muscles slightly, but still held her close to him. It felt a little too uncanny that she was so close to him like this. It felt too intimate for her. Yet, she didn't want to leave.

"I came here to warn you. Team Rocket is going to try and challenge you again when you reach the river. Which is in two days time, if you're going the way I think you are. Be careful, because they've been boasting that they've found a new Pokemon that they think will beat you guys. So make sure you're careful, and strategize yourselves. I know you can. I've seen you do it." Drew murmured.

She looked at him in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

Her voice came out soft and crackled, still in shock from the kiss. He swallowed and licked his lips nervously.

"Well, I… I don't want them to do anything really terrible to you. And I'm afraid that they just might."

May snorted. "Terrible? They're Team Rocket, Drew. The worst they could do is talk you down, and they're not even very good at that."

"May, just trust me please. I can't lose you." Drew said.

Her breath hitched, and his eyes widened as he realized what he said. She stared at him, her heart racing. Lose? Why would he be so afraid of that? And with her? He dropped his head in shame and released her from his grip. She didn't move, though. She stared at him.

Everything had finally come together in her head. She finally made sense of his recent actions. He had been almost-flirting with her countless times. She'd catch him looking at her with such a peculiar expression, and he'd look away or grin at her like he was a cocky prat-which he was. There was always a rose left close by to her tent whenever she'd wake up in the mornings. And the way he'd been acting tonight…

It finally made sense. She bit her lip and closed the distance between them nervously.

"Lose me?" she whispered.

"I didn't mean that." Drew defended, his face turning red.

"Yes you did."

"No."

"Drew."

He looked up at her with a distant expression on his face. His eyes grazed her face, reading it, like he always could. She was looking at him with curiosity and nervousness. But no fear. No hatred. No loathing. He almost smiled, but he didn't. Drew's hands shook slightly as he grabbed her hands.

"Kiss me." He said quietly.

She didn't hesitate. Her lips planted themselves onto his quickly and gently. They curved into a smile as they stood, bodies touching, kissing one another gently and delicately. Almost in an experimentative manner. As if they were testing one another. It was a game she liked very much. Her body seemed to, as well, for it quivered and warmed instantly, making her palms sweat and her neck flush in joy.

Drew was too frightened to move. He honestly didn't think she'd kiss him. He figured she would have gave him a look and laughed at him. But she did. And it felt so good. His heart felt like it would pound out of his chest, and his hands shook ever the more as he clutched hers tightly. Her lips were delicate, soft, and tasted almost like cinnamon. Mixed with something else. But he couldn't name it.

A few moments later, amidst their mild kissing, May felt a prickle of cool on her cheek. She was confused. She pulled away and wiped at her cheek, but nothing appeared. She frowned and looked up at the sky.

And then she gasped.

Little droplets of snow started to fall gently. She watched as one fell until it landed on the top of Drew's hair. She smiled and looked at him in excitement.

"Snow!" she whispered.

He looked up and watched as it started to fall steadily, sticking to the ground, making it white beneath them. They stood together in that one spot, still holding hands. He looked at her, and seconds later, she looked back at him, a wide smile on her face, her eyes glittering with happiness.

"Merry Christmas, Drew." May said quietly.

He pulled her close to her in an embrace. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

a/n: **Hey guys! This is actually a Christmas present for a friend of mine. Thanks for reading! :)**


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